


Hard Knock Life

by mandaree1



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Emergency escape kits, Huey is ten and terrified, I'm still not over Scrooge seeing Lena as a potential defender of duckburg okay, bro she's fifteen let her sleep, calling her up during the s2 finale, the kids aren't alright
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:14:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27350311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandaree1/pseuds/mandaree1
Summary: "You forgot your hiking boots."Huey let out a squeak and biffed his head against the slab of concrete he'd been holding. Lena calmly grabbed a corner, holding a pair of boots in her other hand. "I didn't want them to get dirty and infested," he rebuffed, but stuck them in the capsule and locked it anyway."Fifth one this week," she hummed. "How many emergency kits are you gonna stash?""As many as it takes to feel safe.""Don't think there's enough boots for that."
Comments: 6
Kudos: 66





	Hard Knock Life

"You forgot your hiking boots."

Huey let out a squeak and biffed his head against the slab of concrete he'd been holding. Lena calmly grabbed a corner, holding a pair of boots in her other hand. "I didn't want them to get dirty and infested," he rebuffed, but stuck them in the capsule and locked it anyway.

"Fifth one this week," she hummed. "How many emergency kits are you gonna stash?"

"As many as it takes to feel safe."

"Don't think there's enough boots for that."

"Why are you even _here_?" Huey snapped. "It's the middle of the night."

Lena scowled and let go, forcing the duckling to scramble to keep the tile up. "Rude. We're having a girl's night."

"You have them almost every night."

"You bury shoes every night. I think I'm the less weird one here."

"You're just here because _Scrooge_ wants you here," Huey said, because sometimes it's easier to hurt than it is to confront the problem. "Webby loves you, but Scrooge keeps calling you in for magic stuff."

Lena raised an eyebrow. "I mean, this _is_ his house."

"That doesn't bother you?"

"Hey, now, I didn't trudge out here to confront _my_ emotional problems."

Huey finally dropped the stone tile. It settled amongst the others on the pathway; to the naked eye, it would be hard to notice the difference. But Huey had a map in his hat, and he gladly began to scribble in it. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

Lena groaned, as if this was all long and tedious, and reluctantly crossed her arms. "Look. I've always been someone's tool. I'm used to it. And, honestly? I'm happier being Scrooge's magical watchdog than I ever was as Magica's puppet. I get to hang out with Webby and Violet, and I get the Sabrewings, and that's pretty sick. If magicking up some maces and anime outfits helps me repay him for that, then I'll do it."

"That's messed up."

"You're _ten._ You don't get to decide what's messed up." She paused, then pointed an accusing finger at him. "You're messed up too! So don't get all smug on me."

Huey folded the map up. "Nothing to get smug about. This is a messed up situation in a messed up family." Despite his care, it was more fitting to simply shove the paper up into the abyss than it was to try and make the contents of his hat orderly, and he did so. "I just... hate the waiting part most. It's one thing when your enemy is some weird witch who lives in a bog and shows up every couple of months. Bradford knows _everything_ about this place, and about us. He's just _out there_ with that info and we can't stop him until we know where he is."

"You got doxxed by a boomer. That's messed up."

"It is _so_ messed up!" he agreed. "Uncle Scrooge tries to pretend he's all confident for us, but he's actually _paying money_ to keep this house on lockdown. He's terrified. And no 'yay for our family' morals can change that."

"Way I see it, Buzzards an idiot," Lena replied, as if this was as simple as the Earth being round. "Yeah, maybe he knows the McDuck fam. Maybe he knows how to get into the bin. Good for him. He doesn't know all the insane in the membrane scientists you've got, or all the weird shadow creatures, or the superheroes- or, hell, he doesn't even know Webby that well. He's got one chunk of gold in an entire mine of it and thinks he's gonna rule with the world with it?" She shook her head. "Boomer tactics."

"That is... surprisingly comforting."

"I'm working on it," she said, and playfully knocked the brim askew.

**Author's Note:**

> I heard Huey and Lena hung out and just. Spat this out instantaneously. Hadn't even watched the episode yet. I didn't even know I wanted this dynamic but I DO and I'm glad we got to see them both being buddies!
> 
> -Mandaree1


End file.
